I should have about $1000 to blow next month on what may well be my last chance to buy guns/ammo when the local traveling gun show arrives. I currently have a beat-up old .30-06, an immaculate WWII era .357 magnum, and an ancient .22 pistol which might or might not work in a pinch (I’m scared to try firing it).

So, what am I missing? I want an AR-type but that’d take most the money, would hardly have any left for ammo. .22 rifle? A really nice one? A cheap one and tons of ammo? Compound bow? The quietness of bows has some appeal, but it’s been about 15 years since I used one, and I’ve never tried to hunt with one.

I live in a real small town and it’d be real easy to bolt to the woods with the slightest warning, so I’m equally torn between defense and hunting.

What do you guys think? I’d really appreciate any input. I’m a girl, so serious kick might be a concern, as is weight of hauling the thing around. I’ve never fired anything other than what’s listed above and a .44 (which hurt! But not as much as getting locked up in FEMA camp…).

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31 responses to Weapons Prepping Help, Please!

I would shoot up to deer size game at under 100 yards with AK but not AR.
I have 2×5 round mags 2×75 round drums and numerous in between mags.
But many say it is just whatever you feel good with.
Want to reduce group size with AK? Shoot American made ammo.

yes get youeither an sks or an ak their still fairly cheep to get if you got an ak look at the ak-74 it shoots 5.45 that ammo runs for a thousand rds around 100 or so hand gun get a glock it dont matter what caliber you can get a police trade in for less than 300.00 they are completly reworked inside springs and such just the finnish wont look to good

For a $1000 budget that’s a no brainier to go with a Ak-47. Great all around caliber and ammo is still pretty cheap. Just remember when u bug out u wont be able to take all ur weapons so u want a good all around weapon. Ak-47 cost anywhere from $450-$1000 depending on make. I have both Ak & AR and they are both great weapons. The AK is more user friendly and easy to clean. If u go the the gun show u can pick up 500rnds of wolf ammo for around $125. Good luck and happy hunting

P.S. a scope is just one more thing that can fail… practice, practice, practice.. if you only have one good tool…. know it well….. Just a skier….. you can have the best pair of skis but if you’re at the top of the mountain and don’t know how to ski………..not much good now is it…. compared to someone with thrift store skis that knows how to use them….

Get a tool chambered in 7.62 x 39… Those tools are usually very reliable… actually the most reliable due to their loose construction… I wouldn’t worry so much about the 2,3 or 4 MOa difference between an ar and ak….. contrary to popular belief not many people are taking 6 or 7 hundred yard shots…. well at least where I live there are very few places you can even see that far. Plus the round is almost twice the size of a 223, and the are still affordable…. meaning go buy a decent one for 4 or five bills… leaving plenty of cheese left for more ammo and acc….. the most important thing is to know your tools… hell, I can usually hit better with open sights than some of my friends with scopes…..

Interesting article I must say Comparing the graphs and what they said was interesting… The graphs are not on the same scales to begin with though… and when they showed the graphs for the 223 they seemed to be military FMJS but they decided to make those rounds fragment for some reason but failed to show a graph of the other FMJS fragmenting… so of course a fragmented bullet will do much more damage than one that stays together… I’m rather curious as to why they excluded the 7.62 fragmenting tests… or the 223 without fragmenting??? Just seems a little odd to me… I didn’t state that the 7.62 was “Better” than anything else. I’m just saying that a 30 caliber round makes almost twice the wound channel as a 223 caliber if neither fragments… the 65 grain 223 is much flatter shooting for longer dist. and carries less of a recoil than the 123 grain 7.62 which is quite obvious since as I stated….. it’s twice as big…. lol that’s all… and usually the 7.62 HP ammo is a little cheaper..and as my friends and I found are good for deer..two of my friends had to both shoot deer more than once even with a mortal hit right through both lungs with a 223 hp and the other friend had a heart shot.. One deer went more than 800 yards and the other ,well over a thousand before they were found still alive and had to be shot again…. As for using a 7.62 or 30 caliber bullet.. I have yet to have to make more than one shot and have watched the harvest fall in less than 80 yards… Soooo,, I’m not so sure about those graphs,,,, I’d check for new stats… as for me… I’ll stick with what I know works.. Who the hell uses FMJs anyway? If I’m shooting something,,,, I’m trying to kill it as fast as possible… I wouldn’t want to get hit by either one regardless… lol Nice chatting and God Bless!!

Vz 58s! It’s like an AK but jams less and is more modern. Lots of parts and mods and people that trick them out. It’s more expensive than an AK but:
Positives
1) is lighter than an AK, and so are the magazines in comparison with AK mags
2) Slightly more accurate (will do 2 moa- or 2 inch groups at 100 yards with an optic and standard 123gr surplus)
3) Optics! Rails! Fron’t grips! Oh my
4) Battle tested- Vz 58′s were used in Vietnam, Afghanistan (still are), Iraq (Security contractors) and some others. Its is the standard issue rifle of the Czech Army.
5) Bolt Open function for stripper clips/fast reloads/less jams
6) Is commonly chambered in 5.56 and can even take STANAG mags so you can share an AK variant that shoots like an AR!
Negatives
1) Expensive (~1000$ US for a modded out-tacti VZ)
2) Magazines are not interchangeable with AK. It requires some grinding…. and even then…
3) Not QUITE as durable as an AK (keep in mind I ran over mine with a quad, dropped it in mud and snow, and have put ~2500 rounds through it and its still going strong)

People debate AR vs. AK all day long…”AR’s suck…”AK’s suck….”…blah blah blah…..there’s debates everywhere, ALL DAY LONG on every gun forum….They’re both excellent guns! I don’t care what anyone says, if you get hit with either one….you’re going down. AR’s will generally cost more, while AK’s (for the most part) are usually very affordable ($399 – $600 avg). I have both, and love them both for different reasons. I’d have a hard time choosing one over the other, but, I generally prefer the AR platform better. Just a personal thing with me…

Looking into a Ruger 10/22 would be another great option….Dirt cheap ammo, and TONS of it is available everywhere! Wal Mart, Dick’s Sporting, online, etc etc

If I had your $1000 budget, I’d probably try to get as much bang for the buck as I could…I’d try to buy 2 rifles/guns. For example: AK and a Ruger 10/22, or maybe an AK, and a shotgun, etc etc….I do feel that a shotgun is a must-have item, ESPECIALLY for home/personal defense! So, I would probably make sure that whatever “I” did, a shotgun would be included in there somewhere. Ammo is dirt cheap, and you can always get a few boxes of ammo the following week. You don’t have to buy a million rounds all in one day. Buy a couple boxes every week ($15 to $20 bucks per week). At least you’ll have 2 nice guns right off the bat….and you wait a week or two for some ammo? No biggie…If you get a 10/22, you can get a box of 50 rounds for $5.00 to $7.00…I’ve got boxes of 100 .22LR rounds for less than $12.00! Shotgun ammo, also dirt cheap…..$6.00 to $9.00 for a box of 8……..AK ammo, also fairly cheap……I buy most of my ammo from http://www.cheaperthandirt.com.

I guess really what it boils down to, is this: Whatever you plan on doing… do it fast. Don’t wait too much longer. I just ordered myself another Benelli Nova this week!

The first guns Obummer will attempt to ban are the so-called “black rifles” such as the AR15 and any other semi-autos which can take high capacity mags, the so-called “assault rifles.” They may try to include semi-auto handguns and shotguns, too. Therefore, if I were you I would keep the 357 Mag revolver and buy a non-semi-automatic rifle and non-semi-automatic shotgun. For a rifle, I would suggest something like a lever-action Marlin in 30/30 or 44 Magnum caliber with a low-power scope or Aimpoint-style sight. Ammo for these is available most anywhere and they have sufficient power for defense. For a shotgun I would go for a Benelli Nova, Remington 870 (not the Express models) or Mossberg 500-590 series. Get a 12 gauge if you can handle it, if not a 12 then get a 20 gauge shotgun. Again, ammo for these is plentiful. The last list of “banned assault guns” was made-up by an idiot California senator Feinstein who wanted to ban any gun that “looked evil.” Lever action rifles and pump shotguns are very typical “sporting” guns and are not as likely to be banned (at least at first). If another “assault” ban should get enacted it could also include a ban on the production of 223 ammo….that would put AR15 users out of business quickly.

Black market will quickly develop look at drug dealers. Corruption is the name of the game now days.
Here are the steps that will occur;
1 registration
2 confiscation
3 re-education camps
I suggest we try to educate everyone what is coming.
Sometime around #2 some people should realize that we have lost the Republic;
No alternative you know what must be done! OR DIE

Look on the secondary market for an AR, used or police trade-ins. I picked up a police trade in AR carbine made during the AWB and marked “RESTRICTED: LAW ENFORCEMENT/GOVERNMENT USE ONLY” OTD for just under $670. Other than needing a nice cleaning, and a little wear from bumping in a squad car for years, the rifle shoots great and operates flawlessly. I would recommend looking up what your local police dept sidearm is, and buy one of those, or something that will use the same magazines. For example, if your local PD uses a Glock 19, buy one; the Glock 19 can use 15, 17, and 33 round magazines. Also, if you’re going to purchase a .223/556 rifle don’t buy one with proprietary magazines, make sure they accept STANAG magazines. IIRC the Kel-tec SU-16 rifles and the pistol will accept STANAG magazines. Don’t break the bank, look at the local gun shop or pawn shop, or private sale and look for something used, take the money you save and buy ammo, magazines, an accessories (Slings, replacement parts, ammo carriers/pouches).

I think everyone should own a Ruger 10/22 and a Remington 870 or Mossberg shotgun for starters. The 10/22 is a great rifle for hunting small game and with the BX-25 magazines, nothing to laugh at for defense if it’s all you have. The shotgun is the best gun for home defense using 00 buck or #4 buck. I wouldn’t use a handgun for home defense unless it’s all you have.

A worthy handgun for home defense is the Judge. Not expensive, shoots 410 buckshot or 45LC. Nothing like having close up and farther out in the same chamber. Ruger 10/22 is a great choice. I wouldnt stand and face either one of those weapons.

I have a saiga .308 it’s an AK variant Ak’s are some great rifles. I picked up mine for $550 but Magazines are expensive and so is .308 ammo. My Ar-15 was about $700, its light weight, accurate, magazines and ammo are cheap. Downside is its a bit high maintenance. Honestly if I had to bug out my .308 would be the go to rifle!

Au Contraire on this dude! Seriously! Studies have shown the .223 is more effective in wound ballistics, and more accuracy over distance. Unless you want to punch holes in steel or other inorganic materials, .223 is better in warfare. Our own military knows this and is why it is the standard issue weapon with .223, 5.56X45 NATO round instead of communist bloc 7.62X39.

From what I understand, the M193 has better wound ballistics than the M855 “green tip.” The M855 has a steel penetrator jacketed under the lead and copper and was designed originally to be used in the M249 SAW against Combloc soldiers wearing body armor; whereas the M193 was designed to yaw once it hit soft flesh, cause hydrostatic-shock and fragment.

In 1977, NATO members signed an agreement to select a second, smaller caliber cartridge to replace the 7.62 mm NATO cartridge. Of the cartridges tendered, the 5.56×45mm was successful, but not the 55 gr M193 round used by the U.S. at that time. The wounds produced by the M193 round were so devastating that many consider it to be inhumane. Instead, the Belgian 62 gr SS109 round was chosen for standardization. The SS109 used a heavier bullet with a steel core and had a lower muzzle velocity for better long-range performance, specifically to meet a requirement that the bullet be able to penetrate through one side of a steel helmet at 600 meters. This requirement made the SS109 (M855) round less capable of fragmentation than the M193 and was considered more humane.

Despite complaints that the 5.56 round lacks stopping power, others contend that animal studies of the wounding effects of the 5.56×45mm round versus the 7.62×39mm have found that the 5.56 mm round is more damaging, due to the post-impact behavior of the 5.56 mm projectile resulting in greater cavitation of soft tissues.

The US Army contended in 2003 that the lack of close range lethality of the 5.56×45mm was more a matter of perception than fact. With controlled pairs and good shot placement to the head and chest, the target was usually defeated without issue.5.56×45mm NATO

I would call around to different gun clubs and shooting ranges, and see if they have different firearms to use or rent on site. That way you can see which styles of rifle or handgun fit you best and talk with someone other than a salesperson. You might have to drive an hour or two from home to find one, but it’s definitely worth your time. This is a big investment that your life could one day depend on.
Oh – and please don’t let “I’m a girl” ever be an excuse!

With $1000 I would suggest an AK47 type rifle they run about $500 which will leave you money for ammo and they are very reliable and durable. This rifle can take large mags and use 7.62×39 which is a pretty cheap ammo. AR’s are very good weapons but like you said they are expensive.